NTU Cancer Center holds liver cancer health education exhibition to share three cases of multi-specialty integrated care

2026/10/01 11:15

When 56-year-old Mr. Wang (left) was diagnosed with liver cancer, the tumor had grown over 15 centimeters and invaded major blood vessels. Fortunately, Wu Yaoming, director of the National Taiwan University Cancer Center, formulated a treatment plan for him, and he has survived for more than five years. (Photo by reporter Luo Bi)

[Reporter Luo Bi/Taipei Report] When 56-year-old Mr. Wang was diagnosed with liver cancer, the tumor had grown over 15 centimeters and invaded large blood vessels. After immunotherapy combined with targeted therapy to shrink the tumor, he underwent surgical resection. He has been alive for more than 4 years. The National Taiwan University Cancer Center pointed out that there are more and more treatment options for liver cancer, but how to choose the right treatment and arrange the sequence according to the condition requires joint evaluation by a multi-specialty team to plan a suitable treatment strategy for the patient.

As October is Liver Cancer Month, the National Taiwan University Cancer Center held the opening press conference of the "Your Liver Suffering, Let's Bear It Together" Liver Cancer Health Education Exhibition today to share the treatment experience of three patients who received multi-specialty integrated care. Except for Mr. Wang, who first took medication to shrink his tumor and then underwent surgery, the other two patients received different treatment methods after evaluation by the team due to their advanced age, tumor location or need for dialysis.

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Xu Shizhe (left), part-time attending physician at the Department of General Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Cancer Center Branch, pointed out that considering the deep location of Mr. Huang’s tumor and the need for kidney dialysis three times a week, the team recommended a single course of tissue morcellation knife treatment, and he was discharged after 3 days of treatment. (Photo by reporter Luo Bi)

Wu Yaoming, director of the National Taiwan University Cancer Center, said that rapid advances in local and systemic treatments for liver cancer in recent years have given patients who had limited treatment options in the past more opportunities, but the increase in options has also made treatment decisions more complex. In addition to tumor size, location, and whether it invades blood vessels, liver function, age, physical strength, coexisting diseases, and patient's treatment goals must also be considered, and timely adjustments should be made based on treatment response.

Wu Yaoming pointed out that the same liver cancer patient may require completely different treatments at different stages. The value of a multi-specialty team is to integrate different specialties to find the most suitable treatment strategy for the patient at the moment. The liver cancer team of NTU Cancer Hospital combines imaging medicine, pathology, surgical oncology, medical oncology, general internal medicine, radiation oncology, nutrition, psychology and other specialties to plan treatment by integrating outpatient clinics and team meetings to reduce patients' traveling between different departments.

76-year-old Ms. Yang is a hepatitis B carrier. She has undergone hepatic artery embolization and electrocautery treatment many times in the past. This year, she relapsed near the liver portal. Although the tumor was not large, the team considered that she was older and the tumor was close to important blood vessels, so traditional electrocautery treatment was risky, so they finally switched to tissue morcellation knife treatment.

Another 38-year-old Mr. Huang has been receiving hemodialysis for a long time. His liver cancer recurred after completing surgery in January this year. Xu Shizhe, an adjunct attending physician at the Department of General Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Cancer Center Branch, pointed out that considering the deep location of the tumor and the need for dialysis three times a week, the team recommended a single course of tissue morcellation knife treatment. Mr. Huang was successfully discharged from the hospital after 3 days of treatment.

Shen Yingjun, attending physician at the Department of Medical Oncology, National Taiwan University Cancer Center Branch, said that the three patients had different treatment paths, highlighting that there is no one treatment strategy for liver cancer that suits everyone; the flexible use of different tools according to the condition and individual needs is the core of multi-specialty integrated care.

This health education exhibition covers liver cancer risk factors, prevention methods, the latest treatment progress and NTU liver cancer treatment milestones, and is accompanied by a series of lectures on fatty liver, exercise, drugs and surgery, non-invasive treatment, nutrition and proton therapy. The lecture will be held in the International Conference Hall on the 5th floor of the National Taiwan University Cancer Center. It is free to attend. Seats are limited. Please contact the Cancer Resource Center to register.

Shen Yingjun, an attending physician at the Department of Medical Oncology, National Taiwan University Cancer Center Branch, said that 76-year-old Ms. Yang is a hepatitis B carrier. She has undergone hepatic artery embolization and electrocautery treatment many times in the past. This year, she relapsed near the liver hilus. Considering her age, she underwent morcellation knife treatment. (Photo by reporter Luo Bi)

A group photo of the National Taiwan University cancer medical team. (Photo by reporter Luo Bi)